Merlinktober 2019
by Mischel
Summary: Collection of my short fics written for Merlinktober 2019 - art available on ao3. Merthur :) Series on ao3: /series/1504544
1. Day 2 - Constellations

**October is here! And that means Merlinktober is here too! Now, I know it's an art challenge, and I know I suck at art, but the prompts were too tempting, so I wrote a short fic _and _****then made fanart for it. I've only written two short fics so far (the second one is coming out tomorrow btw), and made one piece of art, so I can't tell you if I'll be able to post some art for all the fics yet, we'll see. Also, I won't be writing a fic for all 31 prompts, obviously, but I'll try my best.**

**You can find the art on ao3 (/works/****20866394****) or for the whole series on ao3 go here: /****series/1504544**

**Enjoy! :)**

**Day 2  
CONSTELLATIONS**

**. . .**

_Perhaps, one day, the stars will align just right and I'll hear your voice again._

He's lying on the cold grass close to the lake, hands folded beneath his head, gently supporting its weigh. He's watching the stars. It's a clear night, he got lucky - he can see so many of them. Tiny sparkling dots in the sky, some brighter than others, some barely visible but still there.

He counts them sometimes. And then he gets bored - after a thousand years, who would blame him? It's all always the same.

And he's always alone.

"_Counting the stars again?_"

He can hear his voice. Did the stars align just right this time? He squints his eyes and sees a shadow made of light float down next to him. It sits on the grass, never minding the dew, and takes the form of his king.

"_Have you figured out how many there are yet?_"

A small smile tugs at Merlin's lips. "I miss you," he whispers.

He closes his eyes and feels a soft touch on his cheek. "_Oh, Merlin,_" he hears. "_And how much I miss you_ . . . "

Tears well up in Merlin's eyes and he opens them, his lips parted to answer him, but Arthur's gone.

Merlin blinks and brushes the tears from his face. The sky is covered in clouds - it's going to rain. He checks the time - and it's four hours later than when he last looked.

He sighs. He must have fallen asleep again.

He gets up, looks over the lake and up at the sky again. He's had this dream many times before. But the worst thing is, he never knows whether it really is just a dream or whether it's Arthur, somehow finding his way to him before he really returns.

But he chooses to be hopeful.

_And perhaps, one day, I'll join you up there and we'll be one._

**_. . ._**

**the end**

**Thank you for reading! :)**


	2. Day 3 - Tavern

**I'm back with another fanfic and art! This one is based on the tavern scene in 5x12, you know which one. Also, t****his fic is set in an AU where everything is fine and nothing bad ever happens, especially after the tavern scene.**

**You can find the art on ao3: /works/****20882144**

**SUMMARY:** Arthur knows that Merlin uses magic to win in the game of dice. He can't say anything while everyone is watching them play in the tavern, but he will definitely say something when they get back to his chambers.

**Enjoy! :)**

**. . .**

**Day 3**  
**TAVERN**

**. . . **

The night was dark and the king of Camelot and his loyal manservant were playing a game of dice in The Rising Sun tavern. Their amused knights have gathered around them to watch, together with their fellow citizens.

The king and his manservant were at it for a long time, and the servant kept on winning his king's money.

"Ha!" Merlin exclaimed as he gathered his newly earned coins and put the dice into the cup again, ready for another round.

"There's no disgrace for a servant to lose to his king," Arthur reminded him.

But Merlin was far too excited to give in. "Or a king to a servant!"

Everyone laughed.

A few more rounds later, the game was over and the king and his manservant left the tavern to go back to the king's royal chambers, the servant's sack of money a little heavier. Once the door was closed, Arthur turned to Merlin.

"You know, it's really not fair that you use magic to win all the rounds."

Merlin faked a gasp. "Me? Use magic to win? I'd never dare, sire."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "It was obvious you were using it. Not to mention careless! You know that I haven't legalized the practice of magic yet, so don't make me change my mind."

Merlin smiled apologetically and put his hand on Arthur's shoulder soothingly. "Ok, I'm sorry, I'll be more careful."

Arthur refused to look him in the face. "Thanks," he mumbled.

Then, Merlin's eyes brightened with an idea. "How about this? We play the game again and this time I swear I won't use magic to win, okay?"

Arthur's lips formed a little smile. He looked up at his friend and nodded. "Alright. But I start."

"Fair enough."

Merlin went to fetch Arthur's empty goblet from the table and Arthur found his two old dice in one of his drawers in the meantime. A moment later, they were both sitting at the table, facing each other, Merlin handing Arthur the goblet.

"Good luck, my lord," Merlin grinned.

"Oh, shut up."

Arthur put the dice in the goblet, closed it with his palm and started shaking. He didn't take his eyes off of Merlin for one second as he dropped the dice on the table and said, "eight."

They both looked down at the dice and - to Arthur's disappointment - they landed on a four and a three. Seven, then.

"Better luck next time, maybe," Merlin told him. Arthur crossed his arms on his chest and leaned back in his chair, watching Merlin closely.

Merlin gathered the dice, put them in the goblet and started shaking. He locked his eyes with Arthur, a small but anxious smile on his lips. Then he cast them and said, "eight."

The dice landed on two and six. Merlin's smile grew while Arthur's shoulders slumped. He groaned loudly, hoping that the guards outside his chambers didn't hear him, and looked at the dice again. Merlin wasn't using magic, he watched him the entire time, and yet he won. Life wasn't fair.

"Remember, there's no disgrace for the king to lose to his serv-"

"Will you shut up?"

"Sorry, I guess I'm just talented."

Arthur sighed. "It's a game of _chance_, Merlin."

Merlin picked up the dice and put them in the goblet, casting it aside. Then he stood up and rounded the table to stand closer to Arthur. Arthur looked up at him.

"Okay, I've got an idea. I'll stop using magic in games when I play with you, I swear it. And since it's a game of chance, one day you're bound to win. Would you like that?"

Arthur frowned. "I accept your proposal, but please don't talk to me like that, I'm not a hurt puppy for you to comfort."

Merlin pursed his lips. "Sorry." He then put both his hands on Arthur's shoulders and waited for Arthur to fully turn towards him. Then he leaned down and kissed him on the lips.

"Did that make you feel better?"

Arthur licked his lips in thought and then looked up. "Maybe try again?"

Merlin smiled and leaned down for another kiss, this time accompanied by Arthur's hands on his hips. Soon after that, they abandoned the table and went to play in the bed instead.

The night was dark and the game of dice lay forgotten on the table, and the king of Camelot and his manservant were lying in each other's arms in the bed, breathing softly, lost in dreams.

**. . .**

**The next fanfic and art in this Merlinktober series should be posted on the 7th. I haven't written it yet, but the prompt is "flower" and I really like the idea that I have for the fic, so we'll see.**

**Thanks for reading! :)**


	3. Day 7 - Flower

**Hello again! Tbh I totally forgot today was the prompt I wanted to use, but thankfully I remembered in time and managed to write a fic and make art for it. Hopefully, you'll enjoy it! :)**

**AO3 work with the fic and art: /**_**works/20940656**_

**SUMMARY: **It takes Arthur some time to finally decide that he wants to give Merlin a flower, and when he finally gets to his chambers to give it to him, Merlin has a sweet surprise for him, too.

**Day 7**  
**FLOWER**

**. . .**

Arthur had never picked flowers for anyone before. Well, except for that one time when he climbed through a cave to get a flower that would save Merlin's life, but that was different. And he was ashamed to admit that he had been staring at the same purple flower for the past five minutes now, trying to decide whether giving it to Merlin was a good idea or not.

He hadn't seen him since that morning when they'd had breakfast in his chambers together, and ever since then, they were both busy. Arthur was training with his knights, and Merlin was off collecting some herbs or something for Gaius.

It was time for lunch already and they'd agreed to meet up again in Arthur's chambers and eat together.

What difference would a pretty purple flower in between them on the table do?

He knew the answer right away - it would make Merlin smile.

Arthur frowned, thinking. He looked around - there weren't many knights left, most of them had already gone home, so maybe no one would notice the king of Camelot picking flowers . . .

If they did, he'd never live it down. Especially if Gwaine saw it, but thankfully, he'd already left for the tavern with Percival.

Arthur was angry with himself when he realized he'd already spent another five minutes contemplating the same thing - and such a simple thing at that!

He took a deep breath. He was the king damn it, and if he wanted to give his boyfriend a flower, no one had the right to question his decisions.

Arthur stood up from the bench, went to put his shield and sword back into the armoury and walked out again right towards the flower.

It was a bright blue, almost purple harebell. Someone must have picked one already - there was a remnant of a stem sticking up from the ground. Arthur carefully grabbed the last stem of the flower and broke it, quickly turning around and hurrying back to his chambers to put it in a vase.

As he approached the door to his chambers with the small flower in his hand, he realized he was smiling. He was glad he picked the harebell, he couldn't wait to see Merlin's face.

He opened the door and immediately smelled the hot food on the table. His smile widened when he looked at it.

The table was set for two, as per usual, but there was also an empty vase in the middle of it.

"Arthur!"

"Merlin," Arthur said even before turning towards his manservant. Merlin was already on his way towards him, moving forward to kiss him on the lips briefly.

"Hey."

Arthur smiled. "I missed you."

Merlin kissed him again. "It's only been a few hours."

"Exactly."

They both grinned and when Arthur went to take Merlin's hands, he paused. Was Merlin holding a . . .

"Oh, this," Merlin smiled as he showed Arthur a flower - the same harebell flower that he'd picked mere moments ago. "I picked this. For you."

Arthur's cheeks turned red at the thought - he'd spent so much time trying to decide whether to pick a simple flower and thinking about how that would make him look to other people and here Merlin was, with the same flower in his hand, not a worry on his face.

Arthur showed him his own flower. "And I picked this. For you."

Merlin laughed, and to be honest, that was the greatest thing that could have come out of this. It made Arthur love him even more.

Merlin gently took the flower from Arthur's hand, joined it with his and put them both in the vase on the table. And moments later, they were both sitting at the table, enjoying their lunch and looking forward to the rest of the day spent in each other's company.

**. . . **

**Thanks for reading! :)**


	4. Day 9 - Knight

**It's really late and I haven't even started on homework, but writing this was so so worth it! I'm actually proud of it :D Hopefully, you'll like it too!**

**Enjoy! :)**

**AO3 work with the fic and art: /**_**works/**_**_20967308_**

**SUMMARY: **The number of times that Arthur "needed" to dress Merlin up as a knight to be a decoy was beginning to be both suspicions and ridiculous. Especially for Merlin, as well as Gwaine. This time though, Merlin finally demands an explanation for Arthur's behaviour. Classic first kiss fic with Gwaine helping out.

**Day 9**  
**KNIGHT**

**. . .**

It had already been at least twenty minutes and Arthur was still barely done with Merlin's chain mail. They were on a mission and Arthur had decided, for what would have been at least the tenth time for the past few weeks, that they needed Merlin to dress as a knight to use as a decoy for their enemies.

They'd done that so many times now that Merlin thought it would take Arthur a little less time to dress him this time.

"So what? Has it got the splendour every knight chain mail should have already?" Merlin teased.

Arthur's fingers stilled for a moment, still glued to Merlin's belt buckle - as they had been for nearly five minutes now.

"Shut up, Merlin."

Merlin pursed his lips. Oddly enough, he found himself almost enjoying the attention Arthur paid to his appearance.

After another two minutes, Merlin couldn't help but say, "All this time you spend making sure I look like a proper knight . . . makes me think I must look bloody amazing by now."

Arthur frowned at that but was secretly glad that Merlin couldn't see his blush from above him. "Don't flatter yourself, Merlin. You look as ridiculous as always."

Merlin folded his arms on his chest. "You just can't admit that I actually look good."

Before Arthur could answer, Gwaine emerged from the bushes and joined them. Needless to say, Arthur was still crouched down with his hands on Merlin's belt. "How's it coming along, fellas- oh, __oh, __I hope I'm not __interrupting __anything or-"

"We're nearly done, here" Arthur assured the knight and hurried to get up from the ground.

"Does that mean that there __was __something or . . . " Gwaine smirked. Arthur just gave him a death glare that ended the conversation right away.

"Hey, Gwaine," Merlin smiled at his friend cheerfully and waved at him.

Arthur turned around to fetch the red cloak he'd laid on one of the firmer bushes earlier, and carefully put it around Merlin's shoulders. He stepped aside to admire it for a second and then returned to adjust the buckle several times.

Gwaine gave Merlin such a quizzical look that it almost made him laugh.

"When he said __nearly done,__ what he actually meant was __give me a few more minutes,__" he clarified.

Gwaine smirked. "Seems like __a lot __of unnecessary attention, if you ask me."

Arthur sighed. "He __needs __to look the part, Gwaine. What's the point of having him as a decoy when they don't fall for it because he didn't __look __like a proper knight?"

Merlin pursed his lips, stifling his laugh, when he looked at Gwaine. "He's a bit defensive about that."

"I can see that." Gwaine folded his arms on his chest.

Arthur just kept working on the buckle, adjusting the red cloth on Merlin's shoulders to smooth out any creases.

Gwaine sighed. "Alright. One, I think you two should have eloped a long time ago if it wasn't for Arthur having an entire kingdom to run, and two, I'll just go tell Elyan that yes, we've got time for another one of his stories." With that Gwaine turned around and disappeared in the bushes again.

Instead of answering that, Arthur furiously dedicated even more attention to Merlin's red cloak.

"He's got a point, you know," Merlin shrugged.

"I-"

"You've been giving me a __lot __of attention lately, dressing me up like a knight all the time, even __practising __in your chambers to, quote, __be prepared for when the occasion arises, __unquote."

"It's not-"

"I'm not saying that you're hopelessly in love with me or anything, but . . . yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying."

Suddenly, they both fell silent, eyes locked, searching for answers in them. Both waiting for the other one to speak first.

Arthur cleared his throat and glimpsed at his fingers - still holding the buckle on Merlin's chest, keeping the cloak on his shoulders. He finished the job and put his hands down. Oh god, he could feel the hotness rising up his cheeks. He swallowed nervously.

"So?" Merlin asked, carefully hiding the hope in his voice.

Arthur shrugged. "So what?"

Merlin stifled a groan. "So, after all this time I've endured being your personal dress-up doll, could you at least let me know if I'm right?"

Arthur pursed his lips. "Do you really want to know how I feel?"

"After all this?" Merlin gestured to his cloak and armour and nodded. "Yeah."

"Alright," Arthur mumbled as he quickly raised his hands, putting them on Merlin's cheeks. "__This __-" he said, closing his eyes and moving forward, kissing Merlin right then and there with no hesitation whatsoever. Because Gwaine was right and this should have happened a long time ago if Arthur hadn't been such a coward.

Merlin didn't even have time to be surprised when his mouth was suddenly occupied. He closed his eyes and instantly melted against Arthur, wrapping his arms around his waist.

Now _this,_ was a satisfactory reward for all the time Merlin had spent standing, posing for Arthur for no other reason than that the king __liked __it, apparently.

Much sooner than he would have liked, the kiss was over and Arthur pulled away. "__This__," he repeated, "is how I feel."

Merlin swallowed and nodded, his eyebrows raised in a stupid daze. "Yes," he managed. "__That __is how I feel, also."

Arthur laughed.

And someone from the bushes laughed, too. "You know," Gwaine emerged, his finger raised and an amused smirk on his face. "I just realized that we don't even need a decoy today? Like, at all?"

Merlin turned to look at Arthur in amusement, while the king's cheeks turned red.

But before he or Merlin could say anything, Gwaine whistled at them. "Oh, sorry, didn't realize you'd figured it out already." Then he clapped. "Well then, I'll let myself out and tell Elyan that he can tell us the other story as well." And he was gone again.

Merlin and Arthur looked at one another, still wrapped in each other's arms, and with a smile returned to their previous activity - the enjoyable one, not the dress-up.

Well, maybe they'd save the dress-up for some other time.

For Arthur's sake.

**. . . **

**I missed writing Gwaine so much! :D**

**Thank you for reading!**


	5. Day 13 - Pendragon

**Just so you know, I have no idea how royal weddings work or if the spouse automatically gets the last name or how it would even work for these two back in the medieval times, but I liked the idea, so I wrote it and made art for it :)**

**This one is also written for the Marry Merthur Month on tumblr.**

**AO3 work with the fic and art: **_**/works/21018668**_

**SUMMARY: **It's the middle of the night, but that doesn't stop Arthur from asking Merlin a very important question concerning their wedding - will Merlin accept the last name Pendragon?

**Enjoy!**

**Day 13**  
**PENDRAGON**

**. . . **

"Merlin?"

Arthur's voice was a whisper. It was the middle of the night, he couldn't sleep, and he wasn't sure whether he really wanted to wake Merlin up - he never wanted to when they were sharing a bed, but lately, something had been on his mind and it was ruining his sleep.

It was dark in the room, and quiet, but Merlin's breaths didn't sound like he was sleeping. Still, Arthur wanted to make sure.

He gently laid his palm on Merlin's shoulder, and quite to his surprise Merlin stirred. Arthur quickly pulled his hand back while Merlin turned around. Arthur couldn't see a single thing, but he could hear his movement under their blanket.

"_Leoht_" he heard Merlin whisper and suddenly there was a tiny sphere of light hovering above Merlin's palm, illuminating both their faces.

"What is it?" he asked. When Arthur's cheeks turned slightly pink and he wasn't able to answer right away, probably due to embarrassment, Merlin's expression changed from slightly annoyed to serious. "Is something wrong?"

Arthur immediately shook his head. "Wrong? No, nothing's wrong. It's just . . . " he sighed. This was Merlin he was talking to and the thing that was keeping him awake concerned both of them. "There's been something on my mind lately . . . " he paused. "About the wedding."

Merlin smiled at first, but then tensed. "You're not about to tell me that you've changed your mind, are you?" He sat up, suddenly more awake than before.

"No, no, of course not," Arthur assured him and took his hand into his. "But there's something that I've . . . _wanted_ for a long time, and I'm not sure how the council would respond, or how would _you_."

Merlin squeezed his hand. "What is it?"

Arthur swallowed, and pictured the wedding invitations in his mind, which always helped calm him down. Only _now _was the moment that would decide how the invitations would look. "You . . . you don't have a last name."

Merlin's eyes narrowed.

"But when we're married . . . would you do me the honour of accepting the last name _Pendragon?"_

Merlin's eyes widened.

Arthur pursed his lips and quickly added, "only if you want to, that is. I'd never pressure you into anything like this if you don't want to."

Merlin squeezed his hand tighter and leaned in to kiss his future husband. Arthur beamed at him after the kiss. "Is that a yes?"

"There's nothing I want more, believe me, but . . . " Merlin trailed off.

"But what?"

"I mean, you're from the royal family, and I'm just a commoner. I don't know how this works, but . . . do I even deserve it?"

Arthur laughed. "Are you joking? Merlin, I'm just a king. There are many kings in the world. You, on the other hand, are _Emrys_, the _most_ powerful sorcerer to _ever_ live. You're special." He put his hand on Merlin's cheek and smiled at him. "Believe me, there is _no one_ who'd deserve it more than you."

Merlin smiled at him and their lips connected once more in a sweet kiss, before they pulled apart, still grinning at each other.

"So that's settled?"

"It's settled," Arthur said. "Now I can finally get some sleep."

Merlin laughed at that. They both lay back down on the bed and covered themselves with their blanket, snuggling closer. Merlin closed his palm and the light disappeared, once again shrouding them in darkness.

"Goodnight, Arthur Pendragon."

"Goodnight, Merlin Pendragon."

Arthur really did love saying that. Now the wedding invitations in his mind settled into their final form and finally, he fell asleep happy and free of any concerns.

**. . . **

**I hope you enjoyed it, and thanks for reading! :)**

**Spell**  
**"Leoht" means light and was used by Merlin in 4x01.**


	6. Day 16 - Horse

**I really liked writing this one, and I really didn't like drawing the horse :D This is like my third attempt and it still looks like an alien xD**

**AO3 work with the fic and art: ****_/works/21059105_**

**SUMMARY: **Merlin and Arthur are on a trip. When Merlin returns from collecting firewood, he witnessed something he never thought he would - Arthur is talking to his horse. Funny sweet oneshot.

**Enjoy!**

**Day 16**  
**HORSE**

**. . .**

The days were getting shorter, the sun was setting lower, and leaves started falling off trees. The ground was littered with them, but still, there were patches of grass sticking up between them here and there.

Merlin and Arthur were on a trip. This was their last night outside and by the next day's midday, they would finally reach Camelot. It was getting colder out there in the woods, which was precisely the reason why Merlin went to collect more wood to start a fire.

He was alone, so he didn't even bother picking up the twigs and used magic for all of them. At least that way he'd get to carry more wood and the fire would be bigger and keep them warm longer.

He was on his way back when he heard Arthur's voice talking to someone. He frowned with suspicion and continued quietly and carefully closer to the camp. Did someone wander into their camp? Were they dangerous?

He concentrated on the voice and realized that it was only Arthur's. That confused Merlin even more.

Finally, he entered their camp and saw what was happening - he had to stifle his laugh when he saw that Arthur was talking to his horse.

The king was patting its neck, feeding it an apple and just casually talking to it as if the horse could understand him.

Then he sighed and asked the horse, "So what do you think? Does Merlin like me?"

Now this one made Merlin laugh out loud. Arthur immediately turned to look at him, his cheeks red with embarrassment. Merlin, on the other hand, was smiling as he approached the king, and so Arthur kept quiet. It was worth it when Merlin put down the twigs and leaned in to kiss him.

When he pulled away, he gave him such a look that Arthur suddenly felt like a child. "Arthur, we're married."

Arthur rolled his eyes but smiled at him. "I know," he said as he kissed Merlin back. The horse neighed and they both laughed, giving both their horses more apples.

"I didn't know you talked to horses." Merlin smirked at him.

"I don't!" Arthur defended himself. Merlin pursed his lips at him, and Arthur added, "usually."

Merlin smiled at him. "You know everybody does that sometimes. I think it was cute."

"Which is precisely why you're not going to tell anyone."

Merlin pursed his lips again, thinking.

"Merlin?"

Merlin thought about how much fun it would be to tell Gwaine, and Lancelot, and the rest of the knights.

As Arthur realized what Merlin was thinking about, his eyes widened with fear. "Merlin?"

Then Merlin smiled and shook his head. "What wouldn't I do for you?"

"So you're not going to tell anyone?"

Merlin leaned in to kiss Arthur again and nodded. "Your cute secret is safe with me, my lord."

Arthur rolled his eyes fondly at him but kissed Merlin as a thank you.

When they gave the horses some water and carrots, they prepared their sleeping blankets, started the fire and sat down around it. The sun was almost gone, its last rays of light shining through the trees and it was time for stories and then time to sleep.

When they'd reach Camelot the next day, only Gaius would know that the king sometimes talked to his horse. But that was alright because Merlin knew Gaius would keep it to himself.

And Arthur knew that too.

**. . .  
**

**Thank you for reading! :)**


	7. Day 19 - Injured

**I've had this idea in my head for such a long time and now I finally got to write it! I hope you enjoy! :D**

**AO3 work with the fic and art: ****_/works/_****_21096005_**

**SUMMARY: **Arthur's been attacked by an evil witch and is now injured. Both Merlin and Gaius are treating the wound, but they need a distraction for Arthur so that it's easier to remove the arrow from his leg. Merlin decides that the best way to distract Arthur is to kiss him.

**Day 19**  
**INJURED**

**. . .**

Arthur was a king, and above all, a good knight. He knew pain. He'd experienced it many times. Sometimes he got wounded even during the training sessions - although, that hadn't happened in years.

Today, however, things were slightly different. First of all, they'd been battling a witch, and so the wound inflicted on Arthur was no normal wound, it was magical in origin. The witch was now dead, lying a few feet away from them - Merlin had dealt with her, still kneeling next to her and checking if she really was dead or only unconscious. Gaius was with them, and so Arthur was lucky that he had the old man treating his wound.

So yeah, Arthur _knew_ pain. But this one, this one really _hurt._

It was an unusual pain, and Arthur could deal with that, but not for much longer.

Gaius touched the wound.

"Aaa!" It made Arthur yell out, hiss, and then shut his mouth and grid his teeth.

"I'm sorry, my lord, it appears to be enhanced with magic."

_Tell me something I don't know, _Arthur wanted to reply, but Merlin was already rushing to their side and gripping his shoulder in support.

"She's dead," he confirmed. "How's it look?"

"It's not spreading, that's good news," Gaius informed them. The pain, however, was getting worse.

"Does it hurt?"

Arthur glared at Merlin in such a way that it answered the question immediately. Merlin bit his lower lip and frowned apologetically. "Sorry." Then he gently laid his palm above the wound on Arthur's thigh, took a deep breath, and Arthur could see Merlin's eyes change from blue to gold just before Merlin closed them.

The pain lessened.

Arthur could finally let out the breath he'd been unconsciously holding, and relax. The pain wasn't gone entirely, but it was no longer getting worse and it wasn't as bad as before.

"Thank you," he smiled at his servant. Merlin smiled back.

Gaius raised his eyebrow at them, to which Merlin clarified, "I took some of his pain away."

"You can do that?" Gaius asked, impressed. "You never cease to amaze me, Merlin."

Merlin's smile disappeared when he looked down at the wound. Arthur couldn't see it, but judging from Merlin's face, it didn't look good.

"There's something stuck inside," Gaius suddenly announced after inspecting the wound for a while.

"You mean apart from the arrow?"

Gaius glared at Merlin, who pursed his lips, and then Gaius turned his attention back to the wound. "I meant there's something stuck to the arrowhead. It won't be easy to get out, my lord, but hopefully, I can remove the arrow together with the foreign object."

"Do it," Arthur insisted. The pain was coming back and getting worse again. "Do it quickly."

"I won't lie to you, Arthur," Gaius said - using his name meant that he was serious. "This will hurt."

"I can deal with it."

"Perhaps a distraction would help you."

"I don't need that."

"Arthur-" Merlin's worried voice interrupted him, but Arthur had already made the decision. He needed the arrow out of him as soon as possible and a distraction would only delay the process.

"It's decided. Gaius?"

Gaius looked at both of them, obviously unhappy about the turn of events, but got to work. He tightly gripped Arthur's leg where it wasn't wounded to keep it in place, and with the other hand took the arrow.

"Aaa!"

"Arthur-"

"_Mer_lin," Arthur gritted out through his teeth. "Gaius, just do it quickly, please."

Arthur looked up at Merlin, who was staring right back at him, small tears in eyes. Arthur knew the boy cared about him, but did he really cry because of a little injury? Surely, Arthur had had worse than this, it wasn't even bleeding that bad.

The arrow was still stuck inside him and it hurt even more, making Arthur's breath quicken. Maybe the distraction and the removal of the arrow as a surprise wasn't such a bad idea after all.

He was still looking into Merlin's eyes - it calmed him down a little, perhaps - and Merlin took away some of the pain with his magic again. But soon the pain was back, and apparently, the arrow was hard to remove.

"Gaius?"

"I apologize, my lord," the old man said. "It will be out soon, I just need to . . ." Rather than saying it, Gaius gripped the arrow tighter and Arthur took a deep breath.

Then the unthinkable happened - a distraction landed right on his _lips_, when Merlin unexpectedly _kissed _him. Immediately, the pain dulled to the back of Arthur's mind, Merlin's lips and hands on his face occupying _all_ of his thoughts. A perfect distraction, indeed. Arthur raised his hand towards Merlin's face when-

Gaius got the arrow out.

"Aaaaa!"

Arthur pulled away from the kiss, the pain taking over again, his breaths quicker than before. Merlin didn't even have to think before he used magic to take the pain away from Arthur again.

"Gaius?" the warlock asked.

Gaius was holding the arrow, now all of them noticing that it was hollow - and thankfully, the foreign object, the source of the spell, was still stuck inside it. The witch must have placed it inside the arrow wrong, otherwise, it would have stayed inside the wound and they might not have even noticed it.

"It's all out, my lord," Gaius said as he tossed the arrow away from them. "Merlin?"

Merlin moved away from Arthur to look at the wound. He shook his head. "I can't feel any magic in it, I think we got it out together with the spell."

"That's good. That's good," Gaius nodded.

The pain was intense, but it felt like the regular kind of pain again. The pain Arthur could deal with, and it wasn't getting any worse.

Merlin then looked closer at the wound and positioned his hands above it, whispering a spell. Arthur couldn't hear what he was saying, and he wouldn't understand the words anyway - he was just staring at Merlin, looking at him, thinking. Paying attention to his tear-filled golden eyes, his relieved expression, rosy cheeks, black curls.

He'd never realized Merlin fancied him. Well, yes, he might have realized, but he'd never given it a second thought because how could Merlin feel the same way about him? Now, of course, he had the answer. Merlin did like him, and it was mutual.

He watched as Merlin worked, his fingers looking for the proper kind of bandage, wrapping the wound. Arthur hissed, but it didn't hurt as much, and as he'd said, it wasn't bleeding that bad.

Gaius was sitting next to Merlin, looking at his work with proud eyes, and when Arthur thought about how clumsy and incapable Merlin seemed when he'd first arrived at the gates of Camelot . . . he felt quite proud of him too.

Half an hour later, Arthur was on his feet, his arm thrown around Merlin's shoulders. Gaius was helping guide them to their horses, and Arthur couldn't concentrate and think about anything other than Merlin's hand clutching his own.

"So, um," he cleared his throat when they were on their way back, Gaius leading the way, out of earshot. "About the kiss-"

"I'm so sorry if you didn't like it, I didn't really know what more to do after already taking the pain away, and I wanted to help you not think about it, and you were just lying there and then you looked at me and I thought that maybe, maybe you wouldn't mind, and-"

"Merlin," Arthur stopped his rambling. Merlin shut his mouth, his cheeks pink, as he looked at Arthur. Arthur smiled at him. "I appreciate the kiss, and you were right . . . I don't mind."

Merlin was quiet.

"What I'm trying to say is . . ." Arthur looked at Merlin, his eyes curious and waiting, and suddenly he felt happy and warm inside despite the wound. "I wouldn't mind if we were to kiss again."

Merlin's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes, Merlin, really," Arthur laughed. They both looked up at Gaius, far in front of them on his horse, but still there. "Although, maybe wait until we're back in Camelot in my chambers."

Merlin smiled at him. "Agreed."

"For now, though," Arthur swallowed nervously as he reached out his hand towards Merlin, but he didn't have to wait too long.

Merlin took his hand in his and squeezed it, smiling up at him as they rode side by side, on their way back home.

And towards a better future, _together_.

**. . . **

**Thanks for reading! :)**


	8. Day 27 - Enchanted

**Well, I tried my best, but I just can't draw faces, so . . . so I didn't. You can find the art on AO3. I hope you like it! :DD**

**AO3 work with the fic and art: ****_/works/_****_21202580_**

**SUMMARY: **Arthur makes the worst mistake of his life - he touches a magical artifact that curses him with donkey ears all over again! Only his true love's kiss can save him now, but can Arthur find Merlin when he needs him the most?

**Day 27**  
**ENCHANTED**

**. . .**

The day was lovely, the citizens of Camelot were enjoying the nice weather, the knights were all in a good mood, even Merlin was having a great day teaching the youngest sorcerers of Camelot - all still children.

Only one person was having the worst day of his life - it was the king. Currently, he was running through the castle, on his way from the vaults to wherever he thought Merlin was, desperately hiding his donkey ears beneath a hood.

One of the knights was running right behind him. It was Gwaine. And he was grinning from ear to ear.

"I can't believe you actually touched it!" He laughed.

Arthur was almost out of breath, but he still answered, "It was your fault! You dared me to touch it!"

Gwaine smirked. "You said that you're the king and therefore I can't dare you to do anythi-"

"Just _shut up_ and help me find Merlin!"

They rounded a corner, almost bumped into a few servants, and continued running towards the court physician's tower.

"The last I heard, I think he was supposed to be teaching one of his lessons about now."

Arthur groaned. "That's on the other side of the castle!"

They both turned around and ran back, this time towards the royal garden. He knew Merlin would be teaching there today on such a nice day.

And Arthur seriously couldn't believe his bad luck on such a day. First, he'd finally agreed to re-list all the magical artifacts his father had hidden in the royal vaults, then it turned out Gwaine was the only knight not currently on patrol and was, therefore, the only one who could help him, and then he _dared_ to _dare_ the _king_ to touch one of the stupidest looking artifacts they found.

He didn't know what the artifact did, and he didn't think a touch would do anything until he touched it to prove he was _not a princess_ to Gwaine, and _this _happened. Having donkey ears was one of the worst spells he'd ever been under and according to the instructions which they later found in a box next to the artifact, the artifact's only job was to curse the person who touches it with the worst enchantment they have experienced.

Which, in Arthur's case, were donkey ears.

He _hated_ the donkey ears.

And there was only one thing that could break the enchantment - his true love's kiss. He thanked the God that he'd married Merlin years ago.

Had he come across the artifact back when he didn't even know about Merlin's magic, let alone about his hidden love for him, he might not have had such luck like today.

"I see him!" Gwaine called.

Arthur smiled as he finally saw his husband, currently showing a glowing ball flying above his hand to the kids - all sitting around him in a circle - and talking to them. The sight might have been adorable, but Arthur had no choice but to interrupt their lesson.

"Merlin!"

Merlin looked up, as did all the children.

"Arthur? What's wrong?"

Arthur raised his hand to remove the hood, but then stopped himself and cleared his throat. None of the kids had to know what happened to him, he didn't want to embarrass himself.

"There's an important matter I need to discuss with you immediately."

Merlin bent down to excuse himself to the kids and walked over to Arthur. "What is it?"

Gwaine smirked. "Merlin you're not gonna believe this."

Arthur pursed his lips in annoyance and took Merlin's sleeve to drag him over to a high hedge. Gwaine, on the other hand, grabbed Arthur's hood and pulled it down, revealing the humiliating curse he was under.

Arthur gasped, Merlin burst out laughing, Gwaine high-fived _himself_, and Percival, who'd just rounded the corner of the hedge gasped in the distance.

Arthur covered his ears immediately and turned to Gwaine to yell at him, but instead, a loud _bray_ came out. Gwaine and Merlin both raised their eyebrows.

Percival in the distance slowly turned around and went back to where he came from, deciding that _that_ was the best thing to do.

"Alright," Gwaine smiled and patted Merlin's arm. "I'll take care of the kids, you take care of your husband."

Arthur glared at the knight as he left, but didn't protest when Merlin gently took his hand and led him behind the nearest high hedge to hide. When they were finally alone and Merlin took a good look at him, Arthur blushed.

"It's okay, just tell me what to do."

Arthur brayed at him desperately and then touched his lips, and that was all Merlin needed to know. He smiled and took Arthur's hands, leaning in and kissing his lips gently. A moment later, when they separated and Arthur hastily touched his ears - he found his human ears there.

He sighed with relief.

"Thank you, Merlin."

"Just maybe next time, wait for me when you go to the vaults again."

Arthur entwined his fingers with Merlin's and nodded. "Next time, I'm definitely taking you instead of Gwaine. Besides, if I ever need saving again, without my court sorcerer there I'd have to run through the entire castle again searching for you."

Merlin laughed at that because Arthur was clearly still out of his breath a little, but that didn't stop either of them from leaning in and kissing again.

And after this little incident was over, it was finally a lovely day for _everyone._

**_. . . _**

**Thanks for reading! :)**

**I don't have any ideas for the rest of the prompts this month, so I think this will be the last fanfic in this series. I hope you enjoyed this year's Merlinktober, then! 3**


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